River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-06-16

| / can't and | won't sell you the ring.
II was as good rs sold to this British
/ gentleman last night, and il isn't mine
to sell any more. Give me the ring
so saving the American took tie
ring rather sharply from the jewelers.
hand and replaced il on his finger. The
! Freuchman next made me an offer for
the trinket: but, as | had not bought it
for myself. of course could not sell it.
and We left the shop.
MY mind was clear now as to tie
prudence Of giving $50 for the diamond
had heard the best jeweler in the
town offer 5000 francs, or ego. for it.
- We'll, | must say You have acted
most honorably.' said | to the American
when we reached the street After
al, "a bargain can't be all on one side,
and / had never promised to bay the
ring; so you had a perfect legal right 10
sell il to the Frenchman'
..You needn't say no more,
stranger said the Yankee, Is if he
were tired of the subject You can
have tie stone now, if you choose, at
the price we fixed last night. and he
held the ring out TO me.
but I had d get my letters of credit
cashed, and / agreed to meet the
American in the billiard-room in an
hour, time and conclude the trans
action.
NO one was in the billiard-room
when L entered it (for it was still
early in the day. except the American,
who was standing by the empty fire
place. The transfer did not occupy
more than five seconds and the Yankee
Immediately proposed drinks. These
being discussed. we separated and |
saw no more Of my friend from the
States that day.
That evening after dinner l hap
pened 10 he sitting not far from the
I fireplace in the billiard-room when
noticed a small round object living Just
inside the marble fender. Curious to
know what il was / left my seat and
picked it up. II was a jewelers. ring
case-uOt an uncommon article, GER
I tainly. vet hardly the sort of a thing
1 one often sees on the floor of billiard
I room.
Suddenly l remembered that the
/ American had been standing close to
the spot where found it, when. early
/ I'm the day, had exchanged my 1900
/ francs worth of notes for his diamond
An uncomfortable feeling crossed my
mind. What did he want with the ring
I case2 lie had been wearing the ring
I he sold tO me. He might have kept
case for it. of course, aud might have
| thrown It away when departed with the
ring; vet that seemed an unusual sort
of thing for man to do.
..Iopcncd the case. The makers
name was inscribed in Gilt letters inside
/ the iii. and the address given was
I Paris. Paris said I Ia myself. He
said the ring had been boughtin Brazil.
There was no real ground for suspicion.
I yet ] was uneasy. ! went upstairs and
\ took ont the ring. The pattern-you
see il j. peculiar Onc-I remembered
well Somehow Judged, or fancied.
7 that the diamond did not shine n
+ brightly rs it had done the night be-
fore.
Next morning took the ring 10 a
second jeweler and asked hiEr his opin-
I ION as To Its value He examined tie
diamond carefully and laid it down on
the glass case before him with one
cOntemptUous word:
Paste
Paste echoed. 'ImpOsSibier
Certainly paste. and very good
/ imitation he replied. turning away.
..Mv heart sunk within me. Eighty
pounds was sum l could III afford to
lose IL meant summary end TO my
/ holiday, not Co speak of emharrassmentS
that would last some time.
with faint hope that the second
expert had been mistaken | took the
ring tn the iewclcr who had offered the
American 5000 francs for il.
He seemed pleased TO see me, but
! AZ soon rs lie had glanced at the ring
his face changed.
This Is not the same ring YOU
showed ne Yesterday he said in a
tome that made it plain that he thought
I I meant 90 cheat him. AT least. lac
added, III is not the same stone. This
/ Is not "a stone at all, it j paste.
.. 80 | have been told. | said sad
F.. Is. Are YOU sure the Jewel l showed
you yesterday was a genuine diamond?
q. j ann certain of it, he answered. |
The honorable conduct (as | had
thought IT'D Of the stranger in refusing
1 Ia sell to the ieweler was now intelli-
gible. The American meant TO keep
/ the real stone. II was not difficult to
see how the fraud had been managed.
Z The swindler had had two. rings made
exactly alike Of striking and peculiar
pattern. In one of them he had
\ placed genuine and very fine dia-
mond. This was the decOy. In the
other he had put q false diamond
closely resembling in size and shape
/ the genuine one in the first ring. The
one he wore and offered to sell was the
I true stone. When he got it back from
the jewelcr he had kept it and had
given ME the sham one in exchange
I for my ESQ. What was | TO do?
The first thing was to ascertain
+ whether my friend had left the hotel.
/ OF course he nad-the afternoon of the
previous dav: still the scent was so hot
+ / fancied should have little difficulty
I In tracing him. But when l found him
my difficulties would only begin. OF
/ course lac would swear that he had sold
me the ring with the stone which the
+ iewelcr had declared TO 5e genuine. |
might, coBccivably, have substituted
paste for the true stone as well Is he.
/ Ia amy case. when / thought Of the
I difficulty of getting back my money
from an American wandering about
7 Europe my heart sunk within me.
Even if the police consented to help
me- taking my word against his, even
/ ii the rogue were convicted, how was
/ / to recover the 1000 francs?
These thoughts passed through my
mind as I hurried back to the hotel.
I Certainly the prospect was gloomy
enough.
Il easily aScertained that the Ameri-
can had taken the train for Paris the
day before. and ! determined 10
follow him ut once. / did not despair
Of finding him. rs he would probably
put up al one of the good hotels.
ION my way up 10 Paris l could
think Of nothing but my loss This
fellow I SAW had hit upon Il very safe
and profitable method of sWiadling.
In nine eases out of ten the cheated
man would not discover his loss for
wears after he had seen the last If the
American. Il. indeed. the trick was dis